1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hand trowel assemblies comprising a trowel blade and a handle, and more particularly to such assemblies in which the handle and blade are separable and replaceable.
2. Prior Art
The many uses and advantages of hand trowels for carrying, spreading, working and smoothing plaster, mortar, adhesives, and the like, are too well known to require elaboration. Trowel blades come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials, and with an array of design and construction features adapted for special tasks. Trowel handles, likewise, are now available in various configurations, constructions and materials suitable to the user's needs and tastes.
The prior art has long recognized the desirability of providing means for replacing and interchanging handles and blades. The call for such means by industry, the construction trades, the arts and crafts, and individual users has been heard by those skilled in the art. The response has led to the development of all manner of trowels, trowel assemblies, detachable handles and blades, and alternative mounting arrangements. This invention is of the second category, a novel trowel assembly.
In typical prior art trowel assemblies, attachment means in, on, or associated with the handle cooperate with receiving means on the blade for releasably mounting the handle to the blade. Devices employing virtually every mounting means known to man, from interlocking slides, bayonet attachments, spring clips, nuts and bolts, screws, hinges and cams, to magnetism, adhesives, and even "Velcro" fasteners have been proposed. Many have been patented. Some have achieved a degree of commercial success. Most of them, however, suffer from one or more inherent deficiencies which make their use unnecessarily difficult, time-consuming, expensive, or otherwise unsatisfactory.
By way of example, many of the prior art assemblies are cumbersome and awkward to assemble and disassemble. Many are simply too heavy for commercial use. Others utilize interlocking components and structures which fail, or can be operated, if at all, only with great effort, when they are damaged or become fouled in customary use. Others call for the handling and manipulation at the job site and under less than favorable conditions of small, easily lost, difficult to operate parts and hardware.
Other designs may operate fairly well at the outset, but wear poorly and become unusable with use. Still others are so complex and cumbersome that they are impractical for commercial use. Additionally, assemblies of this type are relatively costly to fabricate, and many have a tendency to deteriorate with wear and exposure.
Some of the prior art devices employ constructions which, while useful for a specific purpose or with a particular combination of handle and blade, do not lend themselves to other uses, or other combinations.
Because of their potential utility and the demand for them, the development of trowel assemblies has been active and extensive. Despite these efforts, however, heretofore no single trowel assembly has been produced or disclosed which avoids the aforementioned deficiencies.
Viewed against this background, one object of the subject invention is to provide a hand trowel assembly which affords the advantages and overcomes the deficiencies inherent in prior art assemblies.
Another object is to provide an assembly which is sturdy, lightweight, and durable, yet relatively inexpensive to fabricate.
Yet another object is to provide a trowel assembly which allows the handle and blade to be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily in the field and under adverse conditions without need for special tools and equipment.
An additional object is to provide a trowel assembly which can be adapted readily for use with handles and blades of various sizes, shapes, designs, features, constructions, and materials.
Other objects will become apparent from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of its preferred embodiments.